The 1953 553 F2 car was raced in the 1953 World Drivers' Championship by Umberto Maglioli and Piero Carini.

The car competed in six World Championship Grands Prix over the two seasons, making ten individual entries.

Its only points finishing position was a win for Mike Hawthorn at the 1954 Spanish Grand Prix.

The engine was a Lampredi inline-four, producing 260 PS (191 kW; 256 hp) at 7200 rpm, from 2497.56 cc of total capacity.

Because of the distinctive rounded bodywork and air-intake it was nicknamed Squalo, meaning Shark in Italian.